It Started With You + Me

Chapter 36: Give up hope?

-MIA'S POV-

I looked up from my computer and smiled up at my cousin Charlie who was hovering above me with a warm cup of rooibos tea in front of my nose. Gratefully I accepted the soothing drink and sat back relaxing my weary muscles. My shoulders were already aching and my back was killing me, but I wouldn't give up on the search for Nina's whereabouts. I had checked all her social media, and even tried calling her up. The problem was that her accounts were private, and those I did access were barely used, let alone was anything significantly posted in the last week. After seeing Shea, I wanted nothing more than to embrace him and tell him we were searching for her. But in order to keep Shea's anxiety at bay, the whole affair was kept a secret, just in case we were not in any way, successful. Though I had no intention of giving up so soon.

"Found anything?" Charlie asked helpfully.

I took off my reading glasses and sighed wistfully into my cup of tea. "You know what?" I paused reflecting on what I was going to say before I spilled my guts. My question was met with a grunt, telepathically telling me to go on. "This girl really does not want to be found. And the more I dig up, the more stalkerish I feel." I laughed dryly.

"Here," Charlie took my drink out of my hand and placed it on the bedside table in my room. "Budge up," he commanded and roughly pushed my bottom off the cushioned chair and onto the carpeted floor.

"Name?"

"Her name is Nina."

"Surname?"

I paused unsure, "I have no idea. Only Shea knew and I don't really want him to clam up like last time." I poked the end of my nose with a finger and raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe that boyfriend of yours could help?" The teasing glance in my direction screamed disapproval. I just flared my nostrils back, slowly feeling the painful sting of failure.

--- 3 years later ---

The search for Nina had stopped after the first few months of looking. No-one was aware of the whereabouts of the girl who had caused misery like a cloud that kept itself hung around the house. After this time, the family was beginning to heal, after Darwin's death and the clearing of debts the Kennedy family was getting back on track. Marcus had left them well alone after the knife attack, and had escaped justice for the third time in the course of this story. 

"Mia? Are you even listening?" My great uncle Tim was going on, recounting his experiences in the war, and how he was shipped off with a boatload of other children to rural Ireland from London. And how the love of his life, later our great aunt Zelda, had been separated from him. The story had only been repeated half a trillion times, making an appearance at all our family gatherings, even the informal barbeques like the one we were indulging in now. After each foretelling, the distance between them was a little larger, the treck to find her a little longer and more dangerous. This time I had had enough and completely zoned out, watching the enraged smoke from the fire. I looked over at Shea who was manning the barbeque, he seemed rather deep in thought flipping the hunks of meat with such concentration.

For the past few years he had to keep himself busy, taking on hours of extra curricular studies, classes and clubs to fill in most of his free time. His world had now been mapped out in time frames, a giant timetable so to say. The rest of the day would be decked with hours upon hours of sleep, reckless sleep. He wore himslef to the brink of exhaustion, to the point where he couldn't stand up at night and just flew straight under the covers and was out like a light. The result of said exhaustion could be seen on his face, where bags were under his eyes and his face was sunk into a frown. I remembered him telling me once, that his bed was where he thought everything through; his day, his homework due tomorrow, his problems, and most especially, Nina and the threat of Marcus.